It might seem strange, but hiking the Florida Trail with a broken foot has led me to think about capitalism versus gift economies.

Traditional capitalism relies on scarcity. If something is scarce it has value and people will pay to buy it. As a result, it benefits some people to hoard resources or even to ensure that water is polluted so people resort to paying for what is freely given from the earth and sky. The economy of scarcity seems to reinforce a sense of competition for goods.

On the other hand, in a gift economy, where goods and services are freely given with an expectation that those who receive them will pass something else on as they can, a sense of community support is engendered.

In many ways, I see Trail Angels as part of a gift economy. True Trail Angels offer food, shelter, rides, and other services to hikers for free or a minimal cost. There are some people trying to make substantial profit off of helping hikers, but this is not the norm. Those who do it for profit are not considered true Trail Angels. On the other hand, it is perfectly understandable when trail angels ask for donations to cover the cost of gasoline and food, and most hikers give as they are financially able. I donate money when I can, though I often can’t give enough to truly express my gratitude. Sometimes I donate time, trying to find things I can do in exchange for kindnesses given. So far on the Florida Trail I’ve done sewing, planting, and small household tasks. I feel these are all insufficient for the gifts I’ve been given. As a result, I express gratitude so people know how important their contribution is. I also try to listen to people and leave them with a sense of being seen. When appropriate, I share my stories with people. But I always part ways knowing I’ve been given much more than what I did in return.

Doing a trail with a broken foot, unable to hike with a full pack, has required more help than I normally need. I’ve written about some of those who helped me in previous posts. I want to take a few minutes here to mention some of those who have helped me since I rejoined the trail at White Springs.

Judith McClure at the White Springs B&B held a package for me for many weeks. She also held onto my p-style which had fallen out of my pack miles down the trail. Hiker Father Tom had found it and graciously brought it to the White Springs B&B for Judith to hold for me until I arrived.

Judith has a special low rate for hikers which I intended to take advantage of for one night. I had no idea that Judith intended to not only feed me breakfast, but also dinner. Nor did I know that she would allow me to stay extra nights without paying anymore than I paid her that first night. This was a real gift as it gave me easy access to a bathroom, kitchen and plugs to charge my electronics and made it easier for me to plan my next week on the trail. Ironically, having these creature comforts became more important when I was living out of my car instead of living out of my tent on the trail.

I stayed with Judith a few nights while Daniel, one of her borders, shuttled me along the Suwanee river. On the weekend, I jumped north to take advantage of a shuttle opportunity from Debra Tyre-Shiver.

Debra drives a school bus during the week. While she could still shuttle me on weekdays, I had to wait to start until after her school bus run so it was harder for me to walk longer miles. But on Saturday and Sunday she drove me north and in those two days I was able to hike from St Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge at mile 770 to near mile 740. On Monday she had to take her mom south for some business so I joined them and did another section along the Suwanee River. Then I went back and spent a few more nights with Judith while Daniel again shuttled me so I could finish the trail along the Suwanee.

When I finished the Suwanee River sections, I again drove north stopping at the Midway Baptist Church which was able to help me for a day. There are many miles of road walking north of the Suwanee River and the numerous churches are amazingly helpful, accepting mail drops and allowing hikers to stay on their property and use their facilities. After my night at the Midway Baptist Church, I returned to Debra’s Hiker’s Nest, an outbuilding with an outside shower, indoor kitchen and soon to be flush toilet where hikers are welcome to stay. I spent two more days hiking around Debra’s to complete all the miles from White Springs up to where I had left off at Saint Mark’s. A very special bonus of spending so much time at Debra’s was the time it gave me to visit with her mom, Sharon, who is a spunky 80 year-old.

Again, I’ve had to acknowledge that I would not have gotten to know any of these people to the depth I have had I not broken my foot and required so much help. And while I couldn’t have gotten this far without the services people have provided me, the most meaningful gift has been the gift of human connection. Through the kindness of gifts freely given, I have made many lifelong friends which I would not have made had I merely hired people to shuttle me in a capitalist economy.

There’s so much more I could say about this, but this blog is already plenty long enough so I’ll let you off the hook for now. Besides I have to go back to planning my next miles along the trail. As you can tell by reading this, it takes a lot of work to coordinate which section of trail to do when and with who’s help. So that’s it until next time.

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